4A Semi State Preview at Bedford North Lawrence

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're on to the semi state weekend, where a bracket is played all under the same roof. For a day of top-ten volleyball, there's nothing better than the big girl ball we'll be privy to at BNL (South) and Huntington North (North). With the format done in this manner, we have four teams and a minimum of eight players to watch in the semifinal matches. All eight teams in 4A are in the top ten in the state, according to Indiana Prep Volleyball's Z-Ratings, and all eight teams have certainly earned their place this coming Saturday. Here are the teams in the southern half of the state bracket, their records, state ranking, and a couple of players to watch in each match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">11a: #4 Floyd Central (30-5) v #8 Center Grove (26-8)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So much high-level Division 1 talent will be taking the court at BNL, starting with this matchup. The setter-hitter connection should with the day, not just this match, so we're looking for those connections on both sides. University of Indianapolis (D2) commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152949' first='Carly' last='Fonda']</strong> will be a steal for the Greyhounds next fall, but for now, a win over the Trojans will put the Highlanders in unprecedented territory. She'll look to a big KIVA-trained kid in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='393799' first='Nora' last='Gibson'],</strong> who uses her size to overpower and (literally) go over blocks regularly. Floyd's win over Providence to end their season must have felt cathartic, but this is BIG girl ball now. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173243' first='Ellen' last='Zapp']</strong> (Oakland commit) will be the primary attacker for the Trojans, and will need to do a bit extra in all aspects of the game to move on to the semi state final Saturday night. I like sophomore setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='435850' first='Anabelle' last='Schembra']</strong> to keep the Highlander defense honest. Hopefully, she'll have more hitters to overachieve like sets two through four of the regional last weekend, and forget the first set of that match against Brownsburg.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Approx. 1p: #5 Castle (31-3) v #2 Yorktown (31-2)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In all honesty, this should feel like a state semifinal instead of the state quarterfinal with all of high level of volleyball that will be on display. Junior outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272388' first='Emma' last='Bruggenschmidt']</strong> is the main part of a balanced offense the Knights bring to the court, but might need to be leaned upon more offensively to have a fighting chance against the team of destiny. Her setter is Arkansas State commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='458189' first='Maya' last='Joska'],</strong> who is as solid a setter as she is on offense, and will bring a wrinkle that the Tigers haven't seen before---having to account for a tall, D1-ready, offensive setter that does a little of everything for her squad. Of course, the Knights haven't seen ANYONE on their schedule quite like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152944' first='Charlotte' last='Vinson'],</strong> who's making her case for POY in Indiana. At four kills per set, while hitting north of .350 against one of the toughest schedules in the entire Hoosier State, you just can't prepare in the practice gym for a kid like Miss Vinson. Feeding her the ball early and often will be <strong>Hanna Clark</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748464' first='Bailey' last='Stevens'],</strong> who share the 6-2 seamlessly. Everyone in the gym will know who is getting the ball in Yorktown's matches. But if you don't get the Tigers out of system, it will be a short night for their opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->